Growing Pains
by ICan'tThinkOfACleverUsername
Summary: It's been years since Thea had set foot in Britain, but it's about time she faced her fears head-on and quit running from her past.
1. Home

Chapter One: Home Is Where the Heart Is

It had been almost three years since Amalthea had set foot into Hogsmeade. A small smile graced her lips as she recalled all the happy memories she made here during her childhood. After all, her grandfather ran one of the shops here, so she visited him often with her parents. Not to mention all the times she joined her friends down here on multiple occasions on their breaks from Hogwarts. She remembers the first time she ever went to Honeydukes with her parents and falling in love with their chocolates. It was at Madam Puddifoot's where she had her first ever kiss with Adam White, who was a hunky Hufflepuff with a nice smile that played quidditch. Gladrags is where she often would shop for clothes with her friends and Thea would frequently spend hours inside Tomes and Scrolls looking at all of their magnificent books. Merlin, she loved her books.

Her smile soon falls into a frown. It was bittersweet to think of all these good memories, as most of the people she shared them with were now gone. Her parents were dead. They had been for years. Her father, Aegis, died fighting in the war as an Auror and her mother, Lucinda, had been killed in a raid on the Ministry only a few months before that. And her friends were mostly gone as well. Lily and James were murdered at the hands of Lord Voldemort, although their son had somehow miraculously survived, and so was Dorcas. Mary went missing about a year after we finished school, most likely dead as well, and Marlene was slaughtered alongside her family. Sirius was locked up in Azkaban and Peter was dead by his hand. Alice and Frank went mad and were currently in St. Mungo's. It always seemed like her mind always took a turn for the worst when reminiscing, but Thea didn't want to dwell on those kinds of things.

Sometimes Amalthea thought it was a miracle that she survived the war. Why was she allowed to keep on living while the others did not? It didn't seem fair, but she supposed that was the cruel way of life. Everyone was going to die eventually, she supposed, but it was always sad when it happened to someone before they truly got to live.

There were still a few of her school friends who, of course, weren't currently six feet deep in the ground, like Remus Lupin for example. They occasionally sent letters back and forth. It was nice to talk to someone about trivial things. Emmeline Vance was also still around, but they had fallen out of contact. And her grandfather was still in Hogsmeade, much to Thea's delight, taking care of his dingy pub, the Hog's Head Inn.

Amalthea brushed away a piece of her long chocolate hair that blew into her face as she stared up at the wooden sign with a boar's head that still managed to hang there after all of these years. Closing her blue eyes, Thea took a deep breath before gathering herself and trudging forward toward the small building. It was time she dealt with her demons instead of running away from them.

A bell dinged as she opened the heavy door. Thea took a good look around when she was fully in the building. It looked exactly the same as last time. Hardwood floors were covered in a thick layer of dirt, as were most of the tables. The lights were still too dim, and she could even pick out a few that were burnt out. Thea could spot a few people scattered around the bar and a couple sitting at a small table in the corner. Behind the bar was a rather old man. His face was hidden behind a long, white beard and his piercing blue eyes still managed to shine from behind his spectacles that were sat upon his long nose.

Taking a step further into the grimy establishment, Thea held the door open for a small cloaked man who was leaving as she was coming in before allowing it to slam closed. A few eyes drifted toward her as she walked up to the counter, but she just ignored them.

"Thea, what the bloody hell are you doing back in England? Aren't you supposed to be in France for a few more months?" her grandfather asked gruffly. He was wiping a glass out with a rather dirty looking cloth, managing to only smear the cup rather than clean it.

"What, no hello or how are you?" Amalthea rolled the matching blue eyes at him and gave a subtle wave of her wand, cleaning both the glass in her grandfather's hands and the cloth, which now appeared to be white instead of a dingy tan color. She plopped herself down on a stool at the bar, deciding that she might as well answer her grandfather's questions. She didn't want to put him in a mood. After all, he was insufferable when he was in such a state. "That's what I thought too until he and his wife died. It was somewhat unexpected, but they had enough time to put their affairs in order before they passed. Nicholas said I could leave earlier if I wanted when they decided they were going to destroy the stone, but I didn't have anywhere else to be. It cut my visit to France early, but I didn't mind too much."

"That doesn't explain why you're here, Amalthea," her grandfather muttered, giving his granddaughter a stern look. Aberforth Dumbledore didn't believe that he was hearing the entire truth from Thea. She was a bright girl, sometimes too much like his brother, but he still loved her dearly. Thea would always have a place in his heart, just like his sister did. "Ever since the war ended, you've been happy to never set foot back in the country."

A sign escaped Thea as she leaned her elbows on the counter. No one knew her better than the man before her. A glass of firewhiskey was placed before her by her grandfather as if to prove her point. She noticed it was in a clean glass too, instead of a one clouded with dirt. Amalthea shot her grandfather a small smile of thanks before taking a large swig of the burning liquid. "I thought it was time to come back to England. It's been eleven years since the war ended. I think it's about time I finally come to terms with what happened, don't you think?"

Aberforth started at the woman before him with his lips pursed before answering, "Thea, honestly, I wouldn't give a shit if you never came back to this hell hole." He watched his granddaughter's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and her mouth open to argue, but he silenced her by holding up his hand. Her grandfather's eyes peered down at her from over his spectacles and stared into her own. He wasn't finished yet. "This place is like a home to you, I know, but every time you visit I see how your memories plague your mind. I watch your eyes become glassy and your thoughts start to turn for the worst. That war took the young, sweet girl I knew and turned her into a hardened and broken woman. You were just a kid, Thea. It wasn't right that you had to suffer like that."

Thea averted her blue eyes from the man before her. She never knew how much her grandfather saw through her mask of normality. Amalthea always pushed away those who wanted to get close to her, isolating herself from making friends for the past decade in fear of losing them like she lost her friends before. Hell, she avoided all of Britain for the smallest possible reminder. The entire country was full of places and memories of her past and she was absolutely terrified of encountering them.

This is exactly why she wanted to return home. Thea was tired of hiding away from all her past. It was absolutely exhausting. She didn't think she could handle it anymore.

"But if you want to do this, then I will support you," the grandfather finally whispered out. It was almost like he could read what she was thinking when he mutters his next words, "I don't want to see you in so much pain anymore either. You're a better person than me, Thea. I could never face my fears head on like this."

"Thank you," Amalthea murmured quietly. She then drowned the rest of her firewhiskey, savoring the burning feeling she had admittedly been experiencing too much lately. "Now, you don't mind me staying here with you, do you? I haven't exactly made any plans, so I figured I could help you around the bar for a bit."

"Oh, I suppose," Aberforth grunted out, going back to his gruff and tough exterior. "But I don't want you trying to change everything around. It took me a week to get everything back in order the last time."

A sly smile makes its way onto his granddaughter's face as a mischievous glint flickers in her eye. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

 **Author's Note- I know what you're all thinking. Another story? After all these years? You still haven't finished your other ones.**

 **Yeah, I know, but I was struck with inspiration. This is kind of a revamp of my old story, Broken Trust, if anyone remembers it (it has since been removed). I really got the idea stuck in my head an just wanted to get it out. I honestly have no idea when I will update anything.**

 **Also, after looking back at everything I wrote years ago, it's** ** _so_** **cringy.**

 **Now, please leave a review if you can! They are the best type of motivation and I want to see how you all feel about this story.**

 **Thanks! -Laura**


	2. Proposition

Chapter Two: Proposition

It had been a few weeks since Thea had returned to Hogsmeade. Since she had worked in the Hog's Head Inn when she was younger during the summers, Thea could pretty easily get back into the swing of things. It was almost second nature how she was able to run the bar and throw together a drink—although alcohol was still a major constant in her life, much to Thea's shame. Sure, she had to deal with a couple of sleazeballs trying to cop a feel every once and a while, but after her grandfather almost permanently cursed a man's hand off the customers were much more disheartened in their attempts at charming her. Thea was grateful that her grandfather worried about her, but the woman was positive she could handle herself.

Thea could also proudly say that she had the pub looking in tip-top shape. The day after she arrived, Amalthea scrubbed about every grimy surface in sight. One could actually see the grain of wood on the floor now that there wasn't an inch of dirt layered on thick. All the burnt out light bulbs were changed, the broken chairs were fixed, and the glassware was washed. Thea even managed a nice polish on all the wood, making the run-down tables and chairs look like they were only a decade old instead of three.

After tackling the bar downstairs, Amalthea had started to make the rooms that were rented out much more presentable. Once clearing out the bedbugs—which was absolutely disgusting—and sweeping up the dirt, she bought all new sheets and covers for the beds (the ones they had were far beyond saving). She even put some of her old books that she didn't care much for on the shelves in case someone was interested in a good read, though she doubted that's what people who stayed at the Hog's Head were looking for. One room even had a doxie infestation that she had to get rid of.

The Hog's Head Inn still kept its dingy charm, but at a much cleaner level. Aberforth's cheap prices were still in place, but the quality of what the customers were receiving was much higher. It had been years since the establishment had been in such decent shape. The only thing Thea hadn't overhauled was Aberforth's goat pins, which she was still banned from visiting after accidentally letting her grandfather's prized pets loose more than fifteen years ago (sometimes she believed that the man cared for those mangey goats more than her). Overall, Amalthea was pleased with her work and her grandfather was secretly grateful—though he would never admit so out loud.

The business had even begun to pick up more after word got around that the place was cleaned up. Old regulars that had stopped bothering to come in when the business had reached such a low state had returned, much to the Three Broomsticks' displeasure. More people were also renting out rooms now that the fear of bedbugs was mostly gone. Aberforth had never had to deal with so many customers in years. Not since his son, Aegis was still around helping out. Aberforth didn't want to tell Thea, but she had really saved the business. Hog's Head Inn had been in a precarious state the past few years, one that Aberforth didn't want to recognize, but now his business was booming again.

"Thea, why don't you take a break? This is my bar and I still like to run it sometimes, you know," the elder man grumbled as he snatched the rag she was cleaning the counter with out of her hands. "And I think you're going to start scaring away the customers if you make anything any cleaner. I have a reputation to uphold and you're ruining it."

A lighthearted chuckle escapes the brunette's mouth as she puts her hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. I guess I'll pop down to Tomes and Scrolls and pick up a new book. Maybe I'll even stop at Honeydukes for a treat. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

Aberforth shook his head, "No, no, I'm fine. I just want you to have a break from this place. You've been working nonstop for days. The place has never looked better, Thea, but everyone deserves a break. Now, get out of here. And if you see that Mundungus Fletcher again, you make sure he doesn't come in here! That slimy weasel knows he's been banned for more than two decades. He thinks I'll forget his ugly mug, but I swear to Merlin that tosser won't step another foot into this establishment!"

Rolling her eyes at her grandfather's antics, Thea nodded to please him. Sure, Aberforth was a bit odd, but he had the sharpest memory of anyone she had ever met. And when he banned a person from his bar, he never forgets. Earlier today, Mundungus Fletcher was caught selling more of his illegal wares outside of the pub. Aberforth almost socked the stocky man in the face when he noticed Fletcher making his way through the doorway. The barman had been going on about him for hours and it was beginning to get on Thea's nerves.

Grabbing her jacket from behind the counter, Amalthea made her way outside and began her walk down High Street. There was a cool breeze today even though it was well into mid-spring, but Thea didn't mind too much. This was her favorite kind of weather, after all.

There were all kinds of people out today and quite a few were young kids. Thea guessed that a trip down to Hogsmeade for the Hogwarts students were occurring. Paying no mind to the school children, Amalthea continued on her way.

It didn't take Thea long to reach Tomes and Scrolls, as it was only a few shops down the street. It had been ages since the woman had bought a book, so she was looking forward to browsing the selection. Popping into the little shops, Thea took her time reading through all of the titles. The young woman knew that she would probably have more time on her hands now that she had sorted out her grandfather's business. She was running out of distractions now.

So far Thea hadn't done much on the promise to herself to sort out her past. It had been more than a few weeks since she arrived in Hogsmeade and she had rarely left Hog's Head. Honestly, Thea didn't know where to start.

Shaking the thoughts away, Amalthea turned back to the task at hand. A few muggle books were picked up by Thea, as she had grown quite fond of them recently. The muggle world had always intrigued her and books were a great way of learning about it. Properties of Magical Herbs and Fungi, Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration, Advanced Magical Theory, and Spagyric: The Art of Plant Alchemy also were snatched up for some light reading. Magical theory was one of Thea's biggest interests and she could never pass up a chance to learn more about magic. Her brain was a sponge and it soaked in information like water. It was one of the reasons why she had traveled the world after the war. She loved to learn about all types of magic.

Her father was the same way. Aegis Dumbledore was a proud Ravenclaw and shared the same passion for learning as his daughter. Although he loved his books and studies, Aegis was as brave as a Gryffindor, which led him down the path of becoming an Auror. Amalthea could still remember her father chasing her around the house when he came home to tuck her into bed, but Aegis would read her to sleep every night because Thea almost never wanted to fall asleep. His lively impressions and dramatic tellings still floated around in Thea's head. She doubted that she would ever forget them. It was too bad that her father was killed during the end of her fifth year at Hogwarts. Aegis never got to see his daughter mature into the intelligent and passionate woman she had become after all these years.

Exiting the book store with a full bag of tomes, Thea made her way down the street toward Honeydukes. After eating her grandfather's bland and boring dinners every night (always the same old fish and chips or shepherd's pie), she was ready for a sweet treat. Chocolate was one of her weaknesses.

A strong gust of wind blew against her face as Thea came up to the shop entrance. Opening the door, Amalthea was met with a wave of warmth. A smile made its way onto Thea's pale face. The bright colors and smell of sweets never ceased to bring a wide grin across her cheeks. Pumpkin pasties, chocolate cauldrons, ice mice, jelly slugs, and more lined the bright, pastel blue shelves. Thea could spend hours looking around at all the tantalizing treats. The shop was quite packed. Many children—most likely Hogwarts students—were everywhere. After fixing her wind-blown waves of hair, the young woman began working her way through the crowd and picking out her favorites.

When she got to the other end of the store by the muggle candies, she spotted a very unexpected familiar face. Standing in front of the collection of sweets was a tall, bearded man that Thea got to know quite well when she was at Hogwarts. A pair of spectacles sat comfortably on top of his long, crooked nose and a colorful scarf was wrapped around his neck. On top of his head sat a quite magnificent hat that matched his purple robes but had intricate gold patterns along the brim. This man was without a doubt her eccentric great-uncle, Professor Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh, Amalthea, is that you?" Dumbledore called to his great-niece as he peeked over his glasses to get a better look at her. A cheerful smile appeared on his old face and a gleam was in his eyes. "It's been ages since I have seen you. I see that you made it back from France safely."

The flashed her uncle a quick half-smile. Her grandfather always had an issue with his brother. She knew the story about what happened to her great-aunt, Ariana, who was one of the many people she had been named after (honestly though, who need so many names? Thea would be sure to give her children only one nice, normal name if she ever had any). Amalthea knew where her grandfather's hate for his brother came from, but she could also see how Albus was affected by the situation as well. Honestly, things happened so long ago that Thea didn't hold the same disdain for the man as her grandfather did. No one was innocent in this situation, but her grandfather could only see what he liked to on occasion. Maybe that's where Thea gets her ability to blatantly ignore all of her problems.

"Yes, hello there. I hadn't expected to see you in Honeyduke's, Albus, but I guess it makes sense when you think about it. After all, with your taste for sweets and this place having the best chocolate in the world, you would think you'd be here more often." Thea glanced at her uncle's hands, which were holding a basket full of a complete assortment of candies. Most prominent was lemon drops, a muggle candy that the professor was particularly fond of having.

"Well, I was running low on my favorite sweets and desperately need to replenish my store," the professor responded cordially. He turned to the shelf of candies on his left and examined each type closely. "I see that you have returned from your studies in France with Nicholas."

Thea pursed her lips and shifted the bag of books to her other hand. "Yes, Mr. Flamel and his wife decided it was time to move on with his life. You would know this though as you visited a little less than a year ago, Albus. I thought it best to come home for a bit and visit for a while."

The Hogwarts' headmaster nodded as he picked up a pack of Peppermint Toads and casually added them to the stack of sweets in his basket. "Do you have an idea of what you will be doing next? Are you going to continue studying alchemy or move onto another subject again? I really believed that once you were offered a teaching position in Uagadou School of Magic after your internship that you would have stayed in Uganda, but you never cease to surprise me, Amalthea. Not many would turn down such a prestigious position as one of the Transfiguration professors."

"Oh, I was very flattered, but I was young and wanted to travel more. It's been eight years since I was offered such a position. I've been all over the world since then, Albus, and I cannot say that I regret turning it down. How did you even find out about that?" Thea was staring up at her uncle curiously. She had never told anyone of the job offer she had received all those years ago after she completed her internship at the African wizarding school, not even her grandfather.

Albus gave his niece a sheepish smile before explaining, "Well, Headmaster Mukisa Njubi and I bumped into each other a few months ago and you came up in the conversation. I must say, even I am impressed on all of your accomplishments. He seemed quite disappointed that you refused his offer. Do you think that you would have taken the position today now that you've gotten all of your traveling out of your system? Or are you planning on leaving the country again?"

Thea also had a sneaking suspicion that Albus was up to something. This was all too convenient. Wanting to see where this was going, Amalthea continued the conversation as she headed over to the register to pay for her candies, "Yes, Njubi and I did get along quite well, but he has since found a marvelous Transfiguration professor. I doubt that he is looking for another one. It is a quite sought out position because Uagadou does specialize in Transfiguration, specifically animation transformations. I'm sure there are more qualified people than myself in that field. Recently I have become quite enraptured by alchemy. In fact, I discovered my interest in alchemy at Uagadou since Hogwarts doesn't teach the subject much."

The two paid for their candy hauls and exited the store together. Albus insisted on paying for his niece, but she vehemently refused. Thea didn't need handouts from him. She had a decent amount of money saved up even if she had no current income (she would rather kick herself out of the country again than take payment from her grandfather).

"Yes, it is a shame that not a lot of students wish to learn the art of alchemy anymore. Not many signed up for it when you were in Hogwarts so the subject was dropped. It was a shame." Albus admitted. It had been many years since there was an alchemy class. "I don't even think we have a professor equipt to handle such a class anymore."

The two headed in the direction of the Hogshead, both looking around with a nostalgic fondness in their eyes. The wind had died down and the sun began to peak out from behind the thick, gray clouds in the sky. Occasionally, a student would throw a greeting at the elder Dumbledore and give Amalthea a curious glance. Who was the mysterious person that we chatting with the headmaster? Otherwise, there was a comfortable silence between the two family members.

When they got a decent amount closer to the Hog's Head, the crowd had visibly thinned. It seemed that the students didn't often head this part town. Albus slowed to a stop about a block away from the Inn and Thea stopped to glance back at him.

"You know, Thea, I think with the right professor, students would become interested in alchemy again." Albus Dumbledore stared at his niece with twinkling, piercing blue eyes that were so similar to her own. "Would you like to teach alchemy at Hogwarts?"

Thea should have expected this, especially when thinking back to the conversation they had earlier, but she was still a bit shocked. Honestly, Amalthea didn't think she was good enough to be a professor. Sure, she knew the subject inside and out, but did that mean she was qualified to teach it to others? Teaching was different at Uagadou, there were multiple professors that knew the subject and she was only studying under them. She was able to confide in the others, as almost all of them were able to transform into animagi. But at Hogwarts, she would be entrusted to teach one of the most complex branches of magic alone. Her uncle did study the subject, admittedly, but he basically was one of the modern experts in the subject. He worked with Flamel for years and had more experience in the subject than even she did.

Eventually, Amalthea recovers enough to open her mouth, "Me? Are you sure?"

A chuckle escapes the professor's mouth before he smothers it with a reassuring smile, "I can't think of anyone better suited for the position. You are one of the brightest witches that I have met, Thea. You've accomplished many great things and even have experience working in another wizarding school. Not to mention your work with Nicolas Flamel as well. Not many people can say they worked with one of the father's of alchemy."

Thea shook her head in amazement before muttering, "Well, you can."

"Yes, but I am one of few. The only other being you."

The younger Dumbledore glanced away from the elder in thought. She was planning on staying in England for a bit. Admittedly, Thea was starting to drain her accounts more than she would have liked and job hunting was next on her list of to-dos. It was almost too good to be true. A job at Hogwarts was all any witch or wizard truly aspired for (with the exception of the cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts position, of course, as it was almost certain you would either die or wish you were dead after the year was up) and her uncle was casually offering it to her like it a piece of his favorite candy.

"Isn't this considered nepotism? I mean, we are related," were the words that ended up spewing out of Thea's mouth.

Dumbledore just shook his head with a smile still present on his face, "My dear, any decent person can see that you have some of the best qualifications suited for the job. The fact that we are related is purely coincidence."

Amalthea pursed her lips in thought it over again. Alchemy was a subject that she had been studying for more than seven years. She had been all over the world—Uganda, Egypt, China, France—to learn everything possible on the subject. Thea could practically recite the basics of the subject in her sleep. The young woman was quite sure she could educate a class of bright witches and wizards the complex basics of the subject.

Although, what would her grandfather think? Her great-uncle was a sore subject. Aberforth still held resentment toward his older brother. Would he think less of her if she were to follow the same path as him and teach at Hogwarts as well? At least she would be in the country this time, and her plans to rekindle the relationships from the past would be quite possible now. She would basically be forced to deal with her demons if she accepted. Honestly, maybe it was the only way to get it done. Thea had been home for almost a month now and had yet to make any progress.

But Thea already knew that she was going to accept, even if her grandfather suddenly hated her or if her past blew up in her face. Hogwarts brought so many new opportunities to learn so many new things. Although she would be teaching most of the year, each summer was free to do as she pleased, which meant that the Dumbledore could travel and learn to her heart's content. And Thea couldn't ignore that, the thirst for knowledge was ingrained into her very soul. The reason she had been all over the world was that she wanted to know all of the mysteries of magic. It was why she was drawn to alchemy in the first place. The ancient subject was full of plenty of mysteries that needed answering. She simply couldn't pass on this opportunity.

"When do I start?" the words once again flew out before Thea could even process them. She didn't care, really. Amalthea was excited already. This would be the push that would get her blood pumping again. After all, she had been feeling dead for too long. Things were starting to look up.

 **Author's Note: Hello again! Sorry, there has been such a long wait for this chapter. Thanks for those reviews though, they really helped get the motivation going!**

 **So how was this chapter? Do you guys like the direction I'm going with this story? I want to know what you think is going to happen next!**

 **Please review!**

 **-Laura**


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